Astros' Justin Verlander: Plans to continue pitching in 2025
Rotowire
Verlander said Wednesday that he plans to continue his major-league career in 2025, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Verlander -- who will turn 42 in February -- battled through a disappointing 2024 season, finishing with a 5.48 ERA and 74:27 K:BB over 90.1 innings covering 17 starts before being left off the Astros wild-card roster. He began the year on the injured list with a shoulder problem and also missed substantial time with a neck issue, an injury which he has indicated he might have come back too soon from and could have affected his performance. Given his age and the season he just had, Verlander will enter free agency with question marks, but he shouldn't have trouble finding a team willing to take a shot on a bounce-back showing in 2025.
Astros' Justin Verlander: Excluded from wild-card roster
Rotowire
Verlander is not on the Astros' roster for the American League Wild Card Series versus the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Verlander's absence from the roster, while perhaps jarring, is not a surprise, as he wasn't going to make a start in the series and was unlikely to be carried as a reliever. Whether he's on the ALDS roster, should the Astros advance, is a bigger question. Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti will be available in relief for Houston in the wild-card series.
Verlander (5-6) picked up the win Saturday against the Guardians, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five over six innings. He did not issue a walk.
Verlander completed six innings for the first time since May, as he tossed just his sixth quality start of the season. Verlander will have to wait and see if he did enough against the Guardians to make the postseason roster. The 41-year-old has been a shell of his former self as of late, as he entered Saturday's start with a 10.90 ERA in 17.1 innings in September.
Verlander came away with a no-decision in Friday's 9-7 win over the Angels, surrendering six runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.
The 41-year-old righty was staked to a 6-1 lead after three innings, but Verlander couldn't stick around long enough to qualify for the win, as he got the hook after 86 pitches (60 strikes). Verlander hasn't lasted more than five innings in any of his six starts since coming off the IL in late August, and his 8.89 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 18:10 K:BB through 27.1 innings over that stretch makes it uncertain if he even has enough left in the tank to be part of Houston's postseason rotation. Verlander is scheduled to make one more regular-season start, on the road next weekend in Cleveland.
